The Sub-soil Plow

I am contemplating using a sub-soil plow for the purpose of breaking
plow-sole on grain land. This is about 4 1/2 inches below the surface
and is about 5 inches thick. This soil is comparatively loose and seems
to be of good quality. Do you think that the sub-soil plow run low
enough to break this plow-sole will benefit the land?

There can be no question about the benefit of breaking up this tight
stratum, provided you use a long-tooth harrow or a subsoil packer
afterward to reduce the land so that it will not be too open to loss of
moisture by too free circulation of air. The best way to treat such a
soil would be to use a tractor and plow to a full foot of depth, for
this, followed by good harrowing, would disintegrate the hard stuff and
commingle it with the loose surface soil and make it somewhat more
retentive - doing this when the moisture is just right for
disintegration and mixing. If you are not ready to go to this expense, a
subsoiler, following the plow with another team, would put your land in
better shape for dry farming or for irrigation than it is now. Starting
late, however, might give you less crop the first year on such deep
working than by shallow plowing if the year's rainfall should be scant.
It would, however, be a good start for summer-fallowing and a big crop
the next year.